


Lonely Road

by crystalsnowflakes



Series: Hollow Dreams [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Acceptance, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Final Fantasy VII Remake Spoilers, Friendship/Love, Light Angst, Loneliness, Self-Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:07:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26997196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalsnowflakes/pseuds/crystalsnowflakes
Summary: There are some walks in life you have to take alone.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Series: Hollow Dreams [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983902
Comments: 27
Kudos: 55





	Lonely Road

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mysteriol](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteriol/gifts).



> Thank you myst-san for all the lovely Clerith fics over the years and for inspiring me enough to write a Clerith fic even though it’s not my main ship <3 Also happy mid-week!

Aerith closed her eyes against the gentle breeze as she inhaled the rich scent of the salty ocean, the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore intermingling with the birds above her. She hadn’t been prepared for the panic that flooded her senses as she had caught sight of the limitless depths. This was the closest she had ever been to the ocean before and the sea air smelled so fresh, so different from the pungent stench of steel and mako burning that she had grown so accustomed to.

If she tried hard enough, she could imagine tasting the salt on her lips.

The crunching of the sand beneath her boots reminded her strangely of how Elmyra used to scoop out sugar from the glass jar when they spent time baking together. The image was so strong in her head that she could _almost_ visualize the cookie sheets lining the wooden dining table, smell the aroma of melted butter and sugar and hear the sound of the semi-functioning kitchen faucet dripping repetitively.

A sudden wave of homesickness engulfed her as she swallowed the lump in her throat—the feeling of loneliness and burning desire to return home clawed at her, choking her. Instead of surrendering to the tears that threatened to spill, she opened her eyes and mustered the biggest smile possible. Cupping her hands to her lips, she yelled out a ‘hello’ as she imagined how far her voice would be carried by the wind before she giggled to herself, feeling a little childish. 

This little corner of the world was so beautiful with the water beating against the cliffs relentlessly, over and over again. She focused on the way the unobstructed sunset lit up the vastness of the sky, turning it almost completely red.

Large scattered boulders and broken rocks peeked out from under the water, creating swirls of white as it led farther and farther away from the shore. Feeling unusually adventurous, a small mischievous grin spread across her face as she jumped onto the boulder closest to her before hopping to the next.

By the time she was at the halfway point, she wondered briefly what would happen if she fell into the ocean. Would anyone be able to save her? And then she thought about what Cloud would say if he saw her now…

“What are you doing?” The voice startled her as she almost stumbled over in shock.

She looked over her shoulder, making sure she hadn’t been imagining his voice before turning around with her usual cheeky smile. “Hopping on rocks. Can’t you see?” She responded playfully, her hands behind her back as she peered up into his handsome face, realizing then that he was mere inches away from her.

“But why?” He asked with a small frown, his mako blue eyes glowing unnaturally bright. The wind ruffled his hair, causing the blond strands to sway fiercely—the sight of him caused her heart to lurch uncontrollably, almost painfully.

The corner of her lips curved up as she clapped her hands together. “Would you believe me if I told you I was training to become a SOLDIER?” She teased him with a giggle. The flutters in her stomach grew stronger with the quirk of his mouth, the ghost of a smirk letting her know that he still remembered their playful banter back in Midgar—it almost seemed like a lifetime ago, now that she thought about it.

At that thought, her mood grew a little more sombre as she cast her gaze towards the ocean, remembering exactly _why_ she was away from home in the first place—remembering why she would never return home again. Her chest squeezed achingly until she could hardly breathe as she fought to keep the smile on her face.

“I’ve always wondered what the ocean looked like,” she said, her voice a bare whisper. “But now that I’m here, it’s too large. Almost too much.” Her bright emerald eyes fixed on the clouds of red, orange and yellow before she held his gaze again, unflinching. “The sea is just as boundless as the never-ending sky—it almost seems as if we’re at the edge of the world.”

“Aerith…” A look of concern crossed his face for a fraction of an instant before he reached out slowly to grasp her wrist but she spun her body around, the tendrils of her auburn hair floating on the breeze.

She skipped to the next rock before she spoke softly, more to herself than him. “There are some walks in life you have to take alone.”

“I’ll just follow you,” he muttered, determined, and she found the confidence in his voice oddly comforting.

Just as she was about to hop farther away, his warm, muscled arms wrapped around her waist from behind and her breath caught in her throat. His forehead was pressed against the back of her head and she leaned her body selfishly against his—her heart beat wildly, achingly, painfully.

Her eyes fluttered closed and for a long moment, she revelled in his closeness and his touch. 

“I don’t think I can stop you even if I tried,” she finally murmured honestly.

“Good," he said, pausing for a moment before he added dryly, "Don’t try.”

A small smile tugged at her lips.

"Okay, Mr. Bodyguard."

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> There were cookies in the oven as this was being written, hence the smell of cookies! :) 
> 
> I have shipped Clerith for years and have only attempted one fic many, many years ago (it has since been deleted because the cringiness of it almost killed me). It likely won’t be a ship I write about often, as I tend to write post-canon fics with another ship (...maybe Square Enix will fix that). However, inspiration hit, thanks to myst-san, so voilà! Here’s a ficlet/snippet! Enjoy!


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